GACC Midwest ChamberBrief: August 2014 Issue

Dear Members and Friends,

Groundbreaking ideas are born through dialogue - that's why we invite you to join our innovation Forum to get in touch with select experts, such as our keynotespeaker,serial entrepreneur Howard Tullman. He is the CEO of 1871, the city's 50,000-square-foot hub for online startups inside the Merchandise Mart. To find out which exciting executive speakers we could win for our panels, click here. Network with American and German innovation leaders from a wide range of industries, let the lush green environment of the Abbey Resort at Lake Geneva inspire you, and conclude the evening at our authentic Oktoberfest Dinner Party - don't be shy to wear your Dirndl or Lederhosen!

As we approach the end of the year, we are preparing our GACC Midwest Report 2014 - focusing on the Age of Innovation. Many of you will remember the great success of our Anniversary Book at the end of 2013. Make sure to be part of our publication again, or use the opportunity now in case you missed it last year!

Last but certainly not least we were honored by a visit of Peter Feldmann, Lord Mayor of the City of Frankfurt. Enjoy our review about his visit with a high-ranking businessdelegation from the region to Chicago.

We would like to engage your company in another great project we are kicking off now. Many of you will remember the great success of our Anniversary Book at the end of 2013. We asked for your contribution - and were overwhelmed by your participation! Which is why we would like to continue this concept in our GACC Midwest Report 2014. Use the opportunity to showcase your success stories, your innovative technologies, or the investment potential of yourregion now - click here or contact Jasmin Welter.

Upcoming GACC Midwest Events:

Join us next on August 20 at our popular summer location, the Ivy Sky Terrace.Use this exclusive opportunity to network with an eclectic audience of American and European professionals from the Chicagoland business community! RSVP today

Inaugural HR-Executive Circle for greater Detroit region on 9/4

Modeled after our successful Chicago HR-Executive Circle, GACC Midwest is pleased to announce the formation of a new HR-Executive Circlefor the greater Detroit region. This new event series will be organized by GACC Midwest, Michigan Office in cooperation with GACC Midwest Michigan Chapter. Each event will bring together HR Managers and Executives from the German-American business community on a quarterly basis to offer a platform for ongoing peer-to-peer networking and for discussing pertinent ‘hot topics’ in HR & recruiting.

The inaugural event will take place on Thursday, September 4, 2014. Our guest speaker will be Nicole Dessain, Founder of talent.imperative, a next generation talent management consultancy, who will speak on the topic ‘Managing the Talent Experience Lifecycle’ with a focus on Employee Engagement.

Innovation is happening across industries and it is happening fast - in R&D, intelligent systems, and organizational culture.Join leading innovators at our Innovation Forum and learn how to keep up with technological advancements through an innovative company culture! This multi-industry event covers innovation & growth strategies from various angles and allows you to explore novel ways to innovate!

Keynote Speaker:

Howard Tullman, CEO of 1871

With over 45 years of start-up, management, IPO and turn-around experience and a rich background in the development of information-based products and services in a variety of fields including automotive, insurance, CRM, employment, real estate, consumer goods and social media, Howard Tullman will present his expert insights on innovation and leadership in a globalized, digital world.

STAFF & SERVICES Spotlight

Nadine Schieban, Manager Events & Marketing

With our upcoming German Night Reception on the occasion of IMTS, Industrial Automation and MDA on September 9, we would like to introduce you to the person in charge for this event, Nadine Schieban. Nadine joined us in February 2012 from Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI) in Berlin, where she worked as senior marketing manager.

Nadine’s job at GACC Midwest is very diverse. She plans events and projects from the beginningand is also responsible for their implementation. She also designs the marketing materials for all consulting projects and events. As part of our events and delegation services, she covers event formats from workshops to conferences up to galas and receptions for many different industries, as well as delegation visits to the U.S. and business trips to Germany.

With IMTS being one of the largest industrial trade shows in the world, the German Night Reception is certainly one of her highlight events.

GACC Midwest Review:

Big Cities, Big Business - Frankfurt Meets Chicago & Philadelphia

As part of the GACCs’ mission to support bilateral trade and investment, GACC Midwest and GACC NY - Philadelphia welcomed Peter Feldmann, Lord Mayor of the City of Frankfurt, and a delegation of high-ranking representatives from the region. On July 28, the delegation visited FrankfurtRheinMain Corp., the region’s official representation office in Chicago, which shares its space with GACC Midwest to benefit from existing synergies. During a meeting hosted by GACC Midwest, the visitors were introduced to the work of the Chamber in promoting bilateral trade and investment – services of which many FrankfurtRheinMain-companies have been able to benefit when establishing their presence in the Midwest.

To keep new investments coming to Frankfurt, the delegation went on to meet Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to discuss business plans between the metropolitan areas. One major future cooperation is already under way: Messe Frankfurtjust signed a contract with Advanstar Communications to bring the 14th AutomechanikaTrade Show to McCormick Place in Chicago in 2015.

In the evening, FrankfurtRheinMain Corp. hosted a VIP reception at theWIT. The delegation then went on to Philadelphia, where they met with Mayor Michael Nutter, and Deputy Mayor Alan Greenberger and the University of Pennsylvania to build on their existing partnership with the Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main. Read more in next month's GAT!

Borgers Groundbreaking Ceremony - 230 New Jobs for OH

Borgers USA Corporation, the U.S. subsidiary of the German group Borgers AG, selected Norwalk, Ohio as the location for its newest U.S. manufacturing facility. Norwalk was chosen after a search spanning four states, over several months. The search was supported by the GACCs' site selection services. Borgers’ new $60 million facility will be located on 27 acres in Norwalk’s Firelands Industrial Park and the project will create 230 jobs.

GACC Midwest VP, Mark Tomkins, attended the groundbreaking ceremony on August 6. Werner Borgers, CEO and President, stated, one reason the company chose Norwalk was they believed in the quality of the workforce. Norwalk Mayor Rob Duncan said, “This is great news for our community. The Borgers Company is a quality operation and we are ecstatic that they have chosen Norwalk for their new U.S. operation."

GACC Midwest together with the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance and the Water Economy Network hosted a Water Roundtable in Pittsburgh, PA on July 24, 2014. Five U.S. expert speakers and two German expert speakers presented current innovations in the water sector and how they are being implemented in Germany and the U.S. Over 50 people attended the roundtable, contributed to the exciting expert discussion, and had the opportunity to learn about the latest developments in sustainable German and U.S. water technologies. This roundtable was yet another successful event of the German American Water Technology Initiative, which continues to promote transatlantic knowledge sharing and exchange between the German and the U.S. water sectors.

Join us for our next GAWT roundtable in Cincinnati, OH on October 29, 2014! Topic will be announced soon.

At this latest gathering of Human Resources professionals we forewent the traditional guest speaker and single-topic focus and instead provided a forum for attendees to discuss shared challenges and best practices. The group had an engaging discussion that touched on a range of HR issues such as online recruitment, workforce succession planning, 401k provider selection and more.

New members to our HR-Executive Circle are always welcome and we invite you to encourage your respective HR leaders to join us! For more information, please contact Justin Flaxbart, Manager Career Services.

Ray Lotter bestowed with Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

From left to right: German Consul General in Chicago, Herbert Quelle, Dorothea Lotter, Ray Lotter

We are proud to announce that Ray Lotter, the founder and Managing Director of the ChristkindlmarketChicago for many years, has received the "Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland" (Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany), widely known as "Bundesverdienstkreuz." The Consul General, Herbert Quelle, presented Ray with the "Bundesverdienstkreuz" on August 14 in a private ceremony at the German Consulate General in Chicago.

“For decades, Ray Lotter has dedicated his life to strengthening German-American relations, particularly through the Christkindlmarket Chicago. We are delighted with this recognition of his contributions,” said W. David Braun, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest & German American Services, Inc., which organizes the Christkindlmarket.

Grown for over 30 years and based on extensive research, the GermanCompanies.us database is a valuable resource for companies, organizations, researchers and job seekers. Now featuring an interactive map for your search - you can see the number and exact location of German subsidiaries in any given region of the U.S.! Where will your next business partner / research project / job be?